VHC Health in Arlington is the latest hospital hopping on a growing nationwide trend: designing centers specifically for their female patients.
The Charlotte Stump Benjamin Center for Women's Health has opened its doors, and will address the needs of women in every stage of their life, from pregnancy to parenthood and everything that follows.
It's designed to be a one-stop shop for women's healthcare.
"We set this up to try and help coordinate your day to make it as efficient as possible for you," said Sharon Brickhouse Martin, a member of VHC Health's Board of Directors.
Located on the fifth floor of the Outpatient Pavilion, patients can see doctors for everything from obstetrics and gynecology to breast health and genetic counseling.
The goal of the new center is to make things more convenient for working moms and busy caregivers.
"Designed by women, for women, that's been our motto," Brickhouse Martin said.
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"We had over a dozen female physicians, genetic counselors, nurses, medical assistants participating in this design. And the vast majority of our providers here are women," she added.
Dr. Kelly Orzechowski took part in the design process, from vision to reality. She said they were involved in everything from the layout of the rooms....
"If you're having a pelvic exam, we don't want the bed facing the door. So we made those customizations, I mean down to making sure we only had a half-length mirror on the door, right?" Orzechowski said. "Because if you're in the stirrups or getting a pap smear, you don't want a full-length mirror."
... down to the artwork in the lobby.
"We didn't want it to be anything that was medical," Orzechowski said. "We wanted it to be calming. We wanted a lot of light in the space."
Ceiling tiles offer visual therapy from above. Each exam room has a place for women to store their clothes and hang their purse.
The building itself also offers an on-site pharmacy, as well as imaging, cardiology services and primary care.
"Having to drive all over town or even this very large campus to go get scans or to go get a mammogram -- having it all in one place and schedule it all at the same time saves so much time," said one patient.
Orzechowski says the idea came about during the pandemic to address some of the challenges women were experiencing in accessing care.
"We all know that women are the caregivers in a lot of families, and not just for young children, but also for aging parents, for partners," Orzechowski said. "So if you really allow a woman to focus on improving her health and quality of life, it has a ripple effect on to the family and onto the community,"
The new Charlotte Stump Benjamin Center for Women's Health is also planning to offer pop-up clinics covering important topics like menopause and migraine treatments over the next several months.
